You started because you believed in your cause with everything you are.…and after a few months - even years - it became clear that your enthusiasm had nowhere to go.
That “the way we’ve always done it” was the only acceptable standard.
That strategic planning sessions were the place where great ideas went to die.
Tough truth time: you can’t solve these problems from the inside on your own. No amount of white-knuckling will make up for serious structural cracks. You did not fail and you definitely do not need to just “try harder”. The deck was always stacked against you.
We’re here to help you harness that passion into an actionable vision, to elevate your voice, to create a safe space where everyone can honestly assess the mission and the projects.
Megan left the traditional workforce after realizing:
She then spent ten years building an embroidery kit business, where she designed beginner-friendly kits, ran multiple monthly subscription clubs, and stocked 200+ shops around the country.
After providing everyone with their crafting fix for the pandemic, she switched gears and earned 2 UX certificates. It turned out she’d been using those skills all along, she just didn’t know.
But when she looked into being a UX designer, people in that position asked her if she enjoyed screaming into the void and having her ideas shelved to make room for the board members’ ideas.
She took a hard pass on that.
Instead, she started helping small businesses build websites and create minimum viable products/services for their big, crazy ideas. And realized she was really good at coming up with easy and aligned solutions that allowed the businesses to move fast, test things out, and iterate. She also helped them strategize launches and create content that resonated with their audience. In general, she helped them grow into the business they’d always dreamed of being.
Now, as a strategist for Fat Cap, she helps nonprofits and business owners strategize their own minimum viable products/services while asking the ever-important question: Is this the best thing we could be doing?
Things Jeffrey loves:
Jeffrey works at the University of Oregon as the graphic designer for Advancement and the Alumni Association. Over the past 2 years, he’s seen behind the curtain of a HUGE nonprofit and knows what goes into everything from one-day giving events to multi-year campaigns.
He also knows what it’s like to see initiatives miss the mark and to take strengths tests and promptly chuck the paper in the recycling bin.
And with two supervisors and two departments to report to, he implicitly understands what happens when hierarchy isn’t clear enough to help people plow through tasks on their own. If efficiency had a mascot, it would be Jeffrey.
As a consultant for Fat Cap, Jeffrey strives to facilitate spaces where people feel safe to share their big ideas, even if they’re outside the person’s job description. Especially if they’re the person’s job description. Heck, what even is a job description?
He also helps nonprofits and small businesses spot trends in their market and think about how to position themselves for long-term success. He’s famous for asking: What’s the impact of changing nothing?